


Be With The Present

by cosmiicashes



Category: My Baby Bright เพื่อนตายตลอดไป | Baby Bright (Short Film)
Genre: Brief cameos from deanpharm, M/M, Mutual Pining, Requited Love, why did I write 5K for a goddamn COMMERCIAL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28850058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmiicashes/pseuds/cosmiicashes
Summary: “What happened to your picture of Tod?” he asks, staring at the empty space where he’d once seen the photo of his lookalike. It’s no longer there, and he wonders what that means. His traitorous heart turns hopeful and Sunny squashes the feeling down. He turns to look at Plathong, who blinks at him.Or, I didn’t get the ending I wanted so now you all have to deal with it.
Relationships: Plathong/Sunny (My Baby Bright)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	Be With The Present

It probably makes him a terrible person to hate the dead, but Sunny hates Tod sometimes. He hates him for looking identical to him, for knowing Plathong first, for making Plathong fall in love with him and leaving Sunny without a chance to do the same.

“Sunny?”

The sound of Plathong’s voice breaks Sunny out of his thoughts, and he turns to see the coffee shop owner at the counter, arms resting beside the fishbowl. There’s only one fish in there still; Plathong refuses to get another one.

“Plathong,” he says, smiling brightly, his bitter thoughts quickly falling away at the sight of his friend.

“Has anyone come in today?”

Sunny’s smile fades slightly. He shakes his head and wishes he could erase the disappointment that flashes across Plathong’s face. He reaches out and puts his hand on Plathong’s shoulder.

“It’s just a slow day,” he says. “I’m sure it’ll be busier later.”

Plathong smiles tiredly and Sunny squeezes his shoulder. He thinks about hugging him but resists the urge. Plathong is still a little skittish with physical affection, has been ever since Sunny found out about Tod. It hurts, but Sunny guesses that it hurts for Plathong too, to see someone so like the person he really wanted. It’s infuriating, being in a ghost’s shadow. How can he ever live up to gold burnished, rose-tinted memory?

"Maybe," Plathong says, though he doesn't sound very hopeful.

"It will," Sunny says, summoning his brightest smile. He makes a note to text a few of his friends to visit later, maybe throughout the next week. The coffee shop owner nods and smiles. It's small but it's there and Sunny mentally cheers.

The rest of the day passes without any customers but Sunny tries his best to keep Plathong distracted, babbling about his newest song. It's a love song, a little sad and a little bitter, and maybe a bit more inspired by Plathong than Sunny would ever admit. Plathong promises to play that in his shop too, and Sunny wonders if he still would if he knew who the inspiration for the song was.

At closing time Plathong shoos him away from behind the till, wiping down the counter and carefully rearranging the coffee beans for tomorrow morning. It's a familiar sight now, and Sunny has become used to quietly watching before offering to walk Plathong home. Sometimes Plathong says yes, sometimes he refuses.

Sunny hopes tonight is one of the nights he says yes.

He scrolls through his phone as he waits, laughing to himself when he sees a video of a puppy waddling through the grass. He double taps the post and startles when he hears Plathong cough lightly beside him.

"Plathong!" he says and the other smiles, eyes crinkling.

"Did you want to go get a late dinner?"

Sunny blinks. Stares at Plathong and then blinks again. "Dinner?" he repeats. It sounds awfully like a date, but he's old enough to know not to give too much weight to the innocuous words. Too many heartbreaks have come from misinterpretation and unfounded hope. Besides, they go out to eat fairly often. Still, he's not going to turn down the chance to spend more time with the other.

He nods enthusiastically, smiling. "Yeah, let's go out," he says and Plathong smiles.

Plathong finishes locking up and then they make their way to Sunny's car. Plathong usually walks to the coffee shop since he lives close by, and there aren't any restaurants within walking distance so driving it is. Sunny can't help but glance over at Plathong once they're both in the car. His friend looks tired, leaning against the car window.

Turning his attention back to the road as he starts the car, Sunny keeps his voice light as he asks, "Any reason you wanted to go out tonight?"

He can feel Plathong's gaze on him for a few moments before the answer comes. "It's been a year since you started working here. I thought we could celebrate."

The smile that spreads across Sunny's face is a little too big for what Plathong's just told him, but he can't quite bring himself to stop. It's such a small thing, but Plathong remembered how long it's been since he first started working.

"I didn't know you knew," he says, and Plathong laughs quietly.

"You're my only employee, of course I remembered," he replies, but the warmth in Sunny's chest doesn't diminish at the words.

"Does that mean you're paying?" he asks and Plathong huffs petulantly. It's adorable and Sunny wishes he were able to see the pout no doubt on the other's face.

"Just this once," comes the reply.

"Oh, where are we going?" he asks belatedly, realizing he should have checked sooner.

"The noodle place you like. I thought we could go there, since you like their curry," Plathong says and Sunny frowns.

"Are they still open?"

"They are. I checked this morning to make sure," Plathong says and Sunny swallows. It's the moments like this, where Plathong remembers the small details that keep that small flame of hope alive in his chest. That makes him think that maybe he could have a chance. A comfortable quiet follows, and it remains as he pulls into the mostly empty parking lot.

It feels intimate, sitting with Plathong in the corner of the restaurant. It’s nearly empty, with only a few teenagers and the servers there. As they wait for their food to come, Sunny takes the chance to look at Plathong. The first time they'd met, he'd been entranced by the other man's looks, and that still holds true today. His eyes linger on the mole sitting right above Plathong's collarbone, looking away quickly when he realizes he's been staring a little too long.

Thankfully Plathong's distracted by the arrival of their food, and Sunny takes the chance to stuff his mouth with curry before he says something he can't take back like how he wants to lick that stupid mole.

"Happy one year of work," Plathong says, grinning playfully and Sunny's answering smile falters briefly. It’s an anniversary, his brain helpfully supplies and god Sunny hates that his brain came up with that thought because now he's thinking of what an actual anniversary with Plathong would be like. Is he the romantic type? Would there be gifts? Or would he be more subtle, maybe a homemade meal and spending the night together?

"-nny? Sunny!"

Sunny jumps, looking up from his plate to see Plathong frowning at him.

"Sorry," he apologizes and Plathong frowns harder.

"Are you tired? You should have said you were too tired to go out, we could have-"

"I'm not too tired," Sunny interrupts. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking.” 

Plathong raises his eyebrows. "It looked like you were thinking pretty hard. What's so interesting this late at night?"

Sunny scrambles for any explanation other than 'I was thinking of what our future anniversaries would be like' and settles on, "I was thinking of my new song."

"Oh. How's that going?" Plathong asks, looking at him curiously. "You told me about writing it, but you never said what kind of song you’re writing this time.” 

"Um," Sunny hesitates. "It's a love song," he says after a moment and Plathong blinks. Something flashes across his face too quickly for Sunny to decipher it.

"Is it for anyone in particular?" Plathong asks, poking at his rice with his spoon.

 _Yeah, it's about you_ , Sunny doesn't say. The last time he’d tried to do that he’d… well. It hadn’t ended like he’d hoped. The memory still stings if he thinks about it too long.

"Not really," he says out loud. "More about experiences with love." 

Plathong nods, still looking at his rice. "Oh. That's nice. I never had much experience with love," he says, and the air at the table abruptly shifts, turning fragile.

"You didn't?" Sunny asks, because he's always been a little too impulsive, a little too eager to think past his immediate want.

Plathong shakes his head. "Never had the right timing," he says, and Sunny swallows down the answer of me too.

"Oh?" he asks stupidly, and Plathong shrugs. "You or the other person?" he asks, unable to stop himself from breaking his heart a little more.

Plathong looks up from his rice, studying Sunny intently. Sunny swallows, unsure of what Plathong is looking for but staring back despite the feeling he should probably look away.

“Both,” he says after a moment, and his eyes are far away. “He said it too late.” 

Sunny wonders if he's remembering Tod or someone else. He's mostly certain that Plathong had been in love with Tod - no one carried a photo of their friend in their wallet for that long if they weren't a little bit in love with them - but Plathong had never officially confirmed it. 

“Was it Tod?” he asks, and Plathong’s head jerks toward him, eyes wide and a little panicked.

“Sunny,” Plathong starts, fidgeting with the spoon in his hand.

“It’s okay,” Sunny cuts him off. After a moment of hesitation, he reaches out and gently turns Plathong’s head so their eyes meet. “It’s okay,” he repeats, quiet but sure.

Plathong stares at him with wide eyes and Sunny tries to arrange his features into something reassuring. They look at each other for a long moment, and there’s too many emotions in the other man’s eyes for Sunny to fully make sense of them. Plathong swallows and Sunny becomes abruptly aware of how his hand is still on the other man’s face. He quickly moves his hand away. 

“Sorry,” he says, picking up his spoon to keep from fidgeting.

“It’s okay,” Plathong says, his eyes skittering somewhere to Sunny’s right. Sunny drags his spoon through what remains of his curry. 

“If you wanted to talk about…” he pauses, and then continues, “about Tod or anything, I’m here.”

Plathong bites his lip and Sunny wonders if it would be better if he hadn’t said Tod’s name. 

“I don’t,” he starts, and then stops. Sunny holds his breath as he waits for him to continue. 

“Tonight’s supposed to be about you, not anything else,” Plathong says at last. He clears his throat and smiles weakly. “We’re supposed to be celebrating.”

Sunny can tell Plathong has closed off the conversation, and he doesn’t want them to argue so he lets the subject drop, changing the conversation to something lighter. They end up finishing their meal and driving to a nearby bar, where Tod discovers Plathong is a lightweight. Two beers in and his friend is slumped across the table, staring up at Sunny with an unfocused smile. 

“How are you drunk already?” he asks.

Plathong waves an unsteady hand. “I don’t drink much,” he says and Sunny snorts. 

“Clearly. I think we should call it a night before you start throwing up.” He waves to their server to let them know to bring the check, and after getting confirmation reaches for his wallet. Plathong eyes his wallet and frowns. 

“Hey no it’s my treat tonight,” he says, pushing Sunny’s hand back and fumbling for his own wallet.

Sunny watches with amusement as Plathong struggles to pull his money out of the wallet before taking pity on him. 

“Let me help,” he says gently. Plathong makes a half-hearted protest that he ignores. Fishing the money out of the wallet, he waits for them to come back. It’s as he’s closing the wallet that he notices it. 

“What happened to your picture of Tod?” he asks, staring at the empty space where he’d once seen the photo of his lookalike. It’s no longer there, and he wonders what that means. His traitorous heart turns hopeful and Sunny squashes the feeling down. He turns to look at Plathong, who blinks at him.

“I took it out of my wallet,” he says, and his eyes seem clearer now. “Why do you keep asking about Tod?” Plathong demands, staring at him with narrowed eyes. 

Sunny stares at him, taken back at being called out so directly. His eyes keep roaming over Sunny’s face, and it makes him feel slightly self-conscious. 

“What’s so interesting about him to you? Is it the not twin thing?” Plathong demands, and Sunny shakes his head.

How is he supposed to say that he wants to know more about Tod because he wants to know more about Plathong, about what was so special about Tod that Plathong kept his picture in his wallet a year after his death.

“Then what is it?” Plathong asks again, louder this time. 

“I was just surprised his photo wasn’t there anymore.”

“I’m not in love with him you know. Not anymore,” Plathong tells him, and Sunny freezes. 

“What?” 

Plathong looks up at him with glassy eyes, leaning close enough his eyelashes are visible. He’s staring so intensely Sunny thinks it could scorch him. He swallows. 

“Tod,” he says, and Sunny is acutely aware of how much he hates that name. “I liked him but we had shitty timing and then I just missed him, _all the time_.”

“And you look so much like him, you know?” Plathong gestures at Sunny. Sunny’s heart clenches at the reminder and he abruptly doesn’t want to be here anymore. “So much. You’re from the same town and went to the same university but you’re _not_ him. You’re not him.” His tone is helpless but he just keeps talking. 

“You’re- you’re _you_. You’re not him because you make obscure music references and you laugh more and you play the guitar. You like your coffee black and you hum random notes when you feed the goldfish. Before you wanted to sing you wanted to be a writer,” Plathong says, his words coming out in a rush. Sunny is stunned silent – he didn’t realize Plathong knew these things about him. 

“But mostly, mostly you make me feel different,” he ends, gesturing at Sunny like Sunny is supposed to understand any of that. 

_Different how_ , he wants to ask, but it’s then that the server comes back with their check. The moment is broken, and they both leave the restaurant quiet, the air between them heavier with something Sunny’s afraid to name. 

He wants to ask Plathong what he was going to say before the server came by, but the night seems to have taken its toll on the other man. His eyes are closed before Sunny’s out of the parking lot, and it’s a struggle to wake him up so Sunny can help him get back into his apartment. 

Plathong is mostly sober by now, but he’s clingy, and Sunny is sorely tempted to heed the other’s plaintive requests to stay the night. He resists, if only barely, and leaves Plathong pouting after him as he leaves the apartment. It hurts more than he thought it would, being offered something he so desperately wants. 

When he arrives at work the next afternoon, Sunny is fully prepared to ask Plathong about the night before, but he’s distracted by a new sight. The bowl holding the goldfish now has twice the number of occupants, and Sunny stares at it for several seconds. Ever since the other goldfish had died - he still feels guilty about that sometimes - Plathong has never indicated he wanted to get a new one. But now there’s one swimming in circles right before his eyes.

Sunny only looks away when he hears Plathong approaching. He looks surprisingly put together compared to last night, still unfairly attractive and refined enough that Sunny wants to _ruin_ him. Shaking his head to clear that particular thought from his head, Sunny gestures to the fishbowl. 

“When did you get a new fish?”

Plathong blinks before slowly turning to look at the fishbowl. 

“This morning, before I came into work.” 

Sunny stares at him and Plathong stares back. 

“I thought you didn’t want a new goldfish.”

“I changed my mind,” Plathong says simply, slipping behind the counter and starting to set up for the morning. After a moment Sunny follows suit. They fall into a comfortable, easy rhythm born from months of working together and it would be nice if it weren’t for the thoughts plaguing Sunny’s head. He puts down the bag of coffee beans and puts his hand on Plathong’s shoulder. The other man turns to look at him. 

“Plathong,” he says, and the name comes too heavy for it to sound as casual as he’d wanted. 

Plathong looks at him, eyes wide and hands curled around the edge of his apron. 

“I-” Sunny pauses. “Last night.” He sees Plathong tense but the other man remains silent.

 _Did you mean it when you said you’re not in love with Tod?_ The words are there, ready to be asked but Sunny’s not sure he’s ready for the answer. 

“Thank you,” he says instead, like a coward. “For dinner.”

Plathong’s shoulders relax and he smiles. “I should probably be saying thank you for making sure I got home,” he says, and the tension dissipates. 

After a moment they go back to work, Plathong setting out the cups while Sunny goes to flip the sign on the door to open. When he gets back to the counter, Plathong is feeding the fish. Sunny hums absently as he settles against the counter and Plathong looks over at him. 

“Is that your new song? Is it finished yet?” he asks.

“Yeah. I just have to post it.”

A nod. He watches Plathong bite his lip, inhale deeply before saying softly, “When it’s done, can you play it for me?” 

Sunny swallows. For a moment he’s back in time to a year ago, dressed up and sitting on a stool alone. He can’t do that again. 

Regret and realization wash across Plathong’s face, and he reaches out, hands hovering just shy of touching Sunny’s. Then Plathong steps closer, gently holding Sunny’s hands. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, and it’s an apology a year too late. “I shouldn’t have just left you like that.” Sunny nods, swallows again. He wishes Plathong had said something sooner, but he thinks it’s not bad to hear it now. At least like this it’s real.

~

Sunny is cleaning the espresso machine when he sees Plathong stiffen. He turns to look at what caused his friend’s reaction and frowns in confusion when he catches sight of a young woman walking toward the counter.

“Phi!”

She’s at the counter now, and Sunny turns slightly so he can watch them. He hasn’t seen her before, but just by the expression on Plathong’s face he knows she’s someone important. 

“N’Lemon,” Plathong says, a an uncertain smile on his face. “What would you like?”

“Hot chocolate please,” she says, smiling prettily. 

Plathong nods, giving her a faint smile before asking Sunny to pass him the chocolate. Setting the rag down, Sunny reaches for the large bag beneath the espresso machine before realizing he’s grabbed the wrong one. Plathong’s started ordering less chocolate, although Sunny hasn’t noticed a decrease in hot chocolate sales. Picking up the smaller bag, he hands it to his friend who gives him a bright smile that has him quickly turning back to the machine he’s wiping down. He listens to the sounds of Plathong making the woman’s drink and their quiet conversation. 

“Here you go.”

Sunny glances over to see her smile after she takes a sip. She takes a seat farther down along the counter. 

“This is really good. I’ll have to bring my boyfriend here sometime.”

“You have a boyfriend?” Plathong asks, moving to stand in front of her. He sounds relieved. Sunny’s curiosity spikes. 

Lemon laughs. “You didn’t think I was gonna stay stuck on you for forever, did you?” she teases. Plathong’s expression shifts, goes through a series of emotions Sunny doesn’t have time to parse out before he nods.

“It’d be silly if you did,” he says softly. “No use pining after someone who’s gone,” he says softly, and Sunny wants so badly to ask him if he means it. But he bites his tongue and focuses on the espresso machine. 

“Exactly,” Lemon agrees. “Is that your new employee?” she asks.

Plathong hums an affirmative. 

“He looks like P’Tod, don’t you think?” Lemon asks, and Sunny decides he doesn’t want to hear the rest of their conversation. He sets the rag down and waves to Plathong, muttering something about taking a break. He ignores the concerned gaze that follows him out of the coffee shop, inhaling deeply once he’s outside. 

For a little while, he wanders and pushes everything out of his head, humming a random tune. It isn’t until he hears his stomach growl that he realizes he should eat something. He ducks inside the next restaurant he sees, which happens to be nearly empty. The only other person being the man behind the counter, a slim, brown haired man who looks surprised to see him. 

“Sir?” the other man asks and Sunny startles. He murmurs a quiet response before ordering, sitting at the small counter. The shorter of the two men at the bar - Pharm, his name tag says - gives him a kind smile before assuring him he’ll bring his food out soon. Pharm soon brings over a bowl of pad kra pao, and hovers by the table after he sets it down. Sunny looks up at him curiously. 

“Are you okay?” Pharm asks, and he looks so genuinely concerned that Sunny kind of wants to cry a little. 

He’s not entirely sure what his answer is, but Pharm ends up sitting down across from him, listening attentively as Sunny spills everything about him and Plathong, barely aware of the other employee a few feet away. All of his pent up thoughts rush out, the strange resemblance he has to Tod, the song he wrote for Plathong, how Plathong had invited him on that almost date. Pharm listens without interrupting and without questioning him. At the end of Sunny’s long and slightly embarrassing explanation, Pharm gives him a kind smile and places his hand on Sunny’s shoulder. 

Sunny gives him a weak smile. 

“I sound kind of pathetic don’t I?” he asks, shaking his head. 

“Not at all,” Pharm says kindly. “Your story is similar to what happened to me and my fiancé back in university actually.” 

Sunny blinks. “You have a fiancé?” Despite himself he can’t help but be surprised. He’s not sure how old Pharm is, but he looks barely out of university. 

Pharm nods, a fond smile crossing his face. “Mhm. P’Dean.” He nods in the direction of the other employee and Sunny’s eyes widen when the taller man walks toward them. 

He gives a polite wai as Pharm introduces him as Dean, his fiancé. Before any of them can say something else, Dean’s phone rings and he quickly excuses himself. 

As Sunny watches him go he asks, “You’ve been together since university?” 

Pharm nods. “Seven years.”

“That’s a long time,” he says, part admiring, part envious. He thinks of Pharm’s strange comment. “What did you mean your story was similar to mine? If you don’t mind me asking,” he adds hurriedly. 

“There were people from the past we were like too,” Pharm says cryptically. 

Dean returns as Sunny turns Pharm’s words over in his head. He’s vaguely aware of the two of them having a brief conversation - apparently someone named Win wants Pharm to make snacks for his boyfriend - before Pharm turns back to Sunny, apologizing for the interruption. Sunny waves it away, smiling faintly. 

Even in that brief conversation, he can see how much the two of them care for each other. Although Dean is quieter than Pharm, more serious, Sunny can see the undercurrent of affection in his face whenever he looks at Pharm. It transforms the sharp lines of his face into something softer, and there’s a hot coil of envy in Sunny’s stomach at the sight of it. He wants someone to look at him like that. Well, a specific someone. 

Sunny looks down at his bowl, stirring what’s left of his food with his spoon. In his pocket, his phone vibrates and he pulls it out to see several texts from Plathong. 

_Sunny?_

_Where are you?_

_Are you okay? You’ve been gone a while._

_Sunny??_

_Please answer me._

The first text’s timestamp is two hours ago and Sunny quickly sends Plathong a reply telling him not to worry and that he’ll be back soon. 

“Sorry, I didn’t realize how long I’d been here,” he says. “But Plathong’s freaking out, so I’d better go back now.” 

The two men in front of him exchange a quick look before Pharm says, “I’ll go pack some food up for you before you leave.”

“But-” Sunny starts but Pharm has already disappeared into the kitchen. 

“He doesn’t need to do that,” he tells Dean, who only smiles. 

“He knows,” he says, and that doesn’t really explain anything. It’s quiet, and it should be awkward but Sunny feels mostly at ease. Soon Pharm is back with a bag of food that looks like far more than Sunny originally ordered. Pharm waves off his attempts to pay for it, simply telling him to visit again. 

“Thank you again,” Sunny says, after realizing Pharm won’t take any payment. “For listening.”

Pharm gives him an understanding smile and nod. “If you want to talk again, come by. And good luck with Plathong.”

Sunny gives a weak smile. “I’ll need it,” he says. He’s halfway out of his seat when Dean suddenly speaks.

“Sunny.”

Sunny turns to look at him. 

“About Plathong…” his voice trails off, eyes going distant for a moment. “Sometimes you have to be patient. He sounds like he needs time to be sure he likes you because of you, and not because of your circumstances,” Dean says quietly. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”

Sunny nods slowly. Dean sounds so confident, and he wants to believe that too. That one day Plathong will realize he likes, maybe even loves, Sunny. But more importantly, Plathong does so because he’s Sunny and not because of his resemblance to Tod. 

~

When Sunny gets back to the cafe, it’s closed and Plathong is pacing back and forth in front of the counter. He looks more worried than Sunny’s ever seen him, hair a mess and apron askew. His head shoots up when the door opens, and he’s in front of Sunny in an instant, looking at him worriedly. 

“Where were you?” he demands. “You said you were going on break, not disappearing for hours.”

He pulls Sunny closer, hands fluttering over him as he continues, and Sunny finds himself smiling. 

“I was just getting some dinner,” he says when Plathong finally stops. He holds up the bag Pharm gave him. “Do you want some?” 

Plathong is in the middle of shaking his head when his stomach growls, and Sunny laughs when he sees the surprise cross the other’s face. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he says, and pulls Plathong over to one of the tables. He’s not really hungry, but he’s perfectly content to sit and talk while Plathong eats.

~

Sunny stares at the logo on the takeout Plathong had set on his table. 

“Plathong!” he calls out, and the other man ambles out of Sunny’s living room.

“Are these from Pharm’s restaurant?” 

Plathong nods. “Yeah. You kept talking about how good it was so I decided to check it out. You were right.” He sends Sunny a bright smile that makes his heart beat just a little faster. Sunny shakes his head and laughs, taking out the containers and plating the food before carrying it into the living room. The TV is still playing the movie they’d been watching earlier, and is now far enough ahead Sunny’s lost the plot.

He rewinds and Plathong makes himself comfortable on the couch beside him. They’re sitting so close they're almost touching, and Sunny swallows. Like this, he can almost pretend it’s something more than two friends having a movie night. He shoves that thought away and focuses on the film in front of him.

It’s funny, with a ridiculous plot that he has no problem making fun of with Plathong. The food slowly disappears, and Sunny finds himself edging closer to Plathong as the movie progresses. By the time the movie ends, Sunny is so close he swears they’re breathing in each other’s air. 

“Sunny.” Plathong’s voice snatches his attention away from where his eyes had been wandering down to his mole. 

“Mhm?”

“Do you want to go to dinner tomorrow?” For some reason, Plathong sounds nervous, like they don’t regularly eat out together. 

“Sure,” he says easily, tamping down on the hopeful fluttering of his heart. 

“Sunny.” Plathong’s voice is loud in the quiet, serious and tremulous at the same time. “I mean like a date.”

Sunny jolts up at that, scooting back to look at Plathong’s face. He can’t have heard that right. 

“Sunny?” Plathong’s voice is uncertain now and he’s wringing the hem of his shirt. He’s nervous, Sunny realizes. 

“You want to go on a date with _me_?” he asks, and watches Plathong’s face fall briefly. Then the other nods firmly. 

“Yes.”

“Because I look like Tod?” 

“No,” Plathong tells him, and he reaches out, clasps Sunny’s hands in his. Sunny lets him because he’s always been a little too touch starved to be smart. “Because I like you.” He sounds sincere and Sunny hates that he’s still looking for any hint of insincerity. 

“How do I know that?” he demands, because he’s not going to be a replacement. Not for some memory he’ll never live up to. Plathong’s expression turns into one of a soft, sad realization. 

“When we had dinner,” he says quietly, but firmly, “for your one year at the cafe, I said you made me feel different than Tod.”

Sunny nods.

“I didn’t tell you how. Tod - I’d known him forever. He made me feel comfortable, like I could be who I was.” The words don’t sting like Sunny expects, it’s just a dull acceptance.

“And you…” Sunny finds himself holding his breath, waiting for Plathong’s next words. “You’re different. You remind me nothing’s bad forever. You make me feel like I can be anyone I want.” Sunny exhales and his eyes are blurry now. 

“You told me don’t get stuck in the past, be with the present,” Plathong continues and Sunny wonders how the other remembers that when he doesn’t. “Tod is in the past. You’re the present,” Plathong says, and that ever present pinch in his chest loosens. He hadn’t realized until now how much he wanted - needed - to hear that. 

“Let me prove it. Let me take you on a date,” Plathong says, and he’s staring so hopefully at Sunny. He stares at Plathong. 

Sunny thinks of the first time he’d met Plathong, how utterly beautiful he’d been and still is. He thinks of that strange interview, the pout Plathong had worn for hours after Sunny sprayed in the face with the plant water. More memories rush through his mind, that moment he’d first realized he’d _liked_ Plathong, the rush to write that song for him only to be left alone in a cafe suddenly too brightly lit. The realization that he looks like someone Plathong had loved. The bitterness and anger and gut wrenching disappointment. 

He looks at Plathong, sitting in front of him with bright eyes and shaking hands still on his. Sunny thinks of the weekly dinners out, the night he’d dragged a reluctant Plathong out to karaoke, how Plathong remembers even the smallest of his offhand comments. Like how he’d remembered Sunny telling him he’d never been given flowers and when he’d gotten home he’d found three origami roses tucked into his bag. 

“One date,” he says, and watches as a smile spreads across Plathong’s face. 

**Author's Note:**

> Really want to write Plathong’s POV because I like to think he also stumbled upon Pharm and they had a talk as well but I’ve already written 5K too many words for this.


End file.
